Starting this month, the bank HSBC says it is switching all its marketing materials, from mail-outs to brochures, in the UK to environmentally friendly paper – either from forests certified as sustainable by the Forest Stewardship Council or recycled sources.

The bank expects the move to affect around 4,000 tonnes of paper – a figure which will substantially decrease over time as HSBC steps up its efforts to phase out unnecessary paper usage.

Area Manager for HSBC in the Isle of Man, Mike Hennessy, says that following on from the news of our annual sale going ‘green’ for 2007, mentioned on Manx Radio a week ago, this move reflects HSBC’s deep and long-standing commitment to the environment and society. Here in the Isle of Man that commitment is demonstrated through a whole range of local projects. A current example is our involvement in the installation of the wind turbine and solar panel at the Ayres Visitor Centre, to provide ‘green’ energy for the centre.”


In May 2004, HSBC Group for the first time launched international guidelines for the forest land and forest products sector. The guidelines, which include lending and other forms of assistance, set out broad principles of good forest management, based on widely adopted international standards. Last year saw HSBC named FT ‘Sustainable Bank of the Year’ in recognition of its leadership in merging social, environmental and business objectives.